'Eat less': NCAA star DJ Burns shares weight-loss advice after shocking transformation ahead of NBA Draft



North Carolina State basketball star D.J. Burns Jr. has lost a shocking amount of weight in hopes of being drafted into the NBA.

Burns brought his NC State men's basketball team to its first Final Four since 1983 and became a national sensation for his talent, charisma, and even his size.

Listed at 6'9'', 275 pounds, Burns' impressive agility and athleticism was noted by reporters as his team made a historic run in the annual basketball tournament following their ACC championship.

However, ahead of the NBA Draft, Burns has completely changed his image with a new nutritionist and cardio exercise regimen, which has resulted in a reported 45-pound weight loss.

The forward responded to a fan who was looking to find out how he lost so much weight.

"Got any tips on weight loss?" the fan wrote.

"Work out more, eat less, stay at home lol," Burns replied.

'He's been doing workout four days a week, at 5 a.m., he made a point to say there has been no Ozempic used.'

— (@)

Due to the popularity of weight-loss medications, Burns wanted to make sure basketball media knew that he wasn't cutting any corners.

Reporter Shams Charania said he caught up with Burns at an agency Pro Day, and the big man emphasized that hard work was how he shed so many pounds.

"D.J. Burns Jr. ... there was a big deal made about his size, his frame, his weight, he was listed at 275 pounds when he finished the season in college," Charania said on "Run It Back."

"I saw him at the Pro Day yesterday, he looked totally different," the reporter continued. "I talked to him afterwards ... D.J. Burns told me that he has lost 45 pounds in the last six and a half weeks."

"He said he's been doing workouts four days a week, at 5 a.m., he made a point to say there has been no Ozempic used."

Ozempic is a diabetes medication that has been famously used as a weight-loss drug, although that is not its intended purpose.

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Part of Burns' rise to fame has been his humbleness and honesty, which has included being openly Christian on social media and in interviews.

"God really blessed me with the opportunity to be able to showcase my talent more often, so it's a blessing," he said during his team's run.

"Glory be to God. Through him it is always possible to overcome obstacles," Burns also wrote before the NCAA tournament. Two weeks later, he scored 16 points in 16 minutes in the tournament opener, seeing limited time despite starting the game.

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'God really blessed me': NC State's DJ Burns Jr. thanking God for opportunities during magical March Madness run



North Carolina State basketball player D.J. Burns Jr. has attributed his amazing run in the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to God nearly every step of the way.

At an official 6'9'', 275 pounds, Burns has enjoyed a fantastic performance in the 2024 iteration of March Madness, leading his team at N.C. State on an unlikely streak.

"We’re starting to click, and we’re clicking at the right time," Burns said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Burns was awarded MVP in the team's shocking ACC Tournament victory, which landed them an 11-seed in the nationwide tournament.

The Wolfpack trounced six-seed Texas Tech in the first round and then outlasted fellow Cinderella-story team Oakland in the second round. Burns led his team with 24 points.

"Thanks God," he wrote after the game.

Doubt has fueled the team as well, with Burns having made multiple mentions throughout the previous month that N.C. State has excelled when their back was against the wall.

"They didn’t really believe in us. They probably still don’t, but that doesn’t matter to us," he said during the post-game press conference. "We’re just going to stay together. If you’re supporting us, thank you. If not, that’s what it is."

"We executed and, shoot, we just, we just kept playing for each other," Burns added.

Thanks God\ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffe
— (@)

The 23-year-old has seemingly always been forthcoming about his faith. With an X bio that says "Bible, Books, Ball," the South Carolina native has likely made more direct and clear attributions to God in public statements than the vast majority of athletes.

"God really blessed me with the opportunity to be able to showcase my talent more often, so it's a blessing," he told Inside Pack Sports.

Burns' X account is also riddled with mentions of his belief in God as he has progressed throughout his college basketball career, which started in Tennessee.

"I talk to God he don’t make no mistakes," he wrote in 2021.

"Glory be to God. Through him it is always possible to overcome obstacles," Burns also wrote before the NCAA tournament. Two weeks later, he scored 16 points in 16 minutes in the tournament opener, seeing limited time despite starting the game.

Glory be to God. Through him it is always possible to overcome obstacles\ud83d\udcaf
— (@)

Burns was asked to give advice for fellow players making their first splash in the big tournament; he responded:

"You just got to leave it all on the floor. Don't leave nothing behind you or you going home. You be able to recharge for the time you get after, before the next game, but don't leave nothing on that floor."

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